


The New Seeker

by FrillyPinkUmbrella



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Feels, Fluff, Hogwarts Fifth Year, M/M, Might-get-explicit, Mutually Unrequited, will-warn-you-then
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 02:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11911719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrillyPinkUmbrella/pseuds/FrillyPinkUmbrella
Summary: Slytherin has a new seeker! (Guess you already have an idea who that might be)The friendship between Scorpius and Albus is stronger than ever starting their fifth year at Hogwarts. Both have yet to come out and confess their true feelings for each other...Unlike some of those deep (although quite fulfilling) fics out there, this one is pretty light and happy. Enjoy :)





	1. Chapter 1

 

Scorpius was gathering his books just as Albus entered their room looking thoroughly disheveled and exhausted. He had just come back from a tenuous Slytherin team conference.

“Whoa, Albus. What took you so long? Class starts in ten minutes!”

“I know, I know, Scor. Phillips kept us. Chill out so I can get ready.”

He threw his Quidditch robes and his father’s hand-me-down Firebolt onto his four-poster without looking, then started to scramble around for his books.

“Hey, _you_ should chill out. I’ve got all your stuff here.”

Albus turned to find Scorpius holding out his neatly prepared bag for him.

His grumpy face instantly turned to show gratitude and relief. “Love you, Scor,” he mumbled without thinking, taking his bag.

There was a brief pause in which both were slightly embarrassed and confused. Then, Scorpius shook his head. “We should better get going,” he said, slapping Albus’s back.

 

Just as the last bell finished ringing, they made it through the doors, heaving heavy breaths. There weren’t any empty places where they could sit together, so they were forced to separate. Albus unwillingly went to take an empty seat near the front of the classroom while Scorpius slid in front of some Gryffindors.

During individual practice, Scorpius was hearing some gossip going on behind him while pretending to be perfecting his spells. 

“I heard he’s not bad.” some kid was saying.

“It’s not surprising, being Harry Potter’s kid.” another scoffed. Scorpius instantly knew they were talking about Albus, whose admittance into the Slytherin Quidditch team had been news to the whole school.

“By ‘not bad,’ I meant, ‘pretty good’. _Bloody_ good, in fact.” the first kid admitted, somewhat upset. Scorpius was secretly smiling with his back turned to them.

“Well, he can’t be better than James Potter.” Scorpius smirked further. He was fairly sure Albus can stand up against James pretty well, after all the hard work he had gone through.

“I don’t know. From the looks of it… he could. Hey, you remember what the Slytherins did to us last year?”

“They jinxed our players, but their players were still shit. We still won.”

“That’s exactly the problem. I think they’re gonna go further this year. They’re gonna make sure we’re not going to win, not with that new seeker, who isn’t shit at all.”

“So what are you suggesting, mate?”

“We can’t afford for our players to be knocked off again, so we have to act first. We need to get the new Potter off their team.” the Gryffindor whispered the last part, but Scorpius had heard. He had stopped smiling long before and his mouth was now set in a tight, determined line.

 

Watching Albus change into his Quidditch robes, Scorpius was thinking distractedly about the conversation he’d eavesdropped on. Albus was blabbering.

“That Hans dude is a dick. He tried to knock me off my broom with his bat and pretended that he thought I was a bludger. He’s still sour about me taking over the spot that used to belong to his best mate. But everyone else is relieved that Thames is gone, he was apparently meaner than Hans. You remember that seeker last year, right, Scorp?” 

Not hearing a response, Albus turned towards him, a little surprised. “Hey, you alright?”

Scorpius realized Albus frowning at him and figured out he had not responded at the expected timing. 

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, I know Thames. But not too well. I pride myself in keeping out of harm’s way,” he smirked.

Albus laughed. “Yeah, except that one time when you erased my existence and brought Voldemort back.” He instantly regretted this when he saw Scorpius’s expression turn dark and unfocused.

“Scorp. You know I was joking, right?”

“Sure.” 

“Hey. Cheer up. Will you accompany me down to the pitch?” Albus said gently, sliding his arm around Scorpius’s shoulders.

That seemed to do the trick.

“Mm hmm,” he grinned happily.

 

Along the way to the pitch, Albus kept talking and Scorpius kept listening (or at least pretending to). A quiet Scorpius was odd, Albus had figured out, but did not press him. 

He found that rain was pounding on the grounds and he did not want Scorpius getting wet when he was only accompanying him, so he grabbed his arm just before stepping out of the Entrance Hall. 

“Thanks. I can go on my own from here.”

“What, really?” Scorpius said, unsure. “Why?”

“You’ve no business going out there. It’s raining like hell, Scorpius. Have you noticed?”

“Oh. No, I…”

“Are you really alright?”

“Yeah! Yes, I am, Al. Just… Listen, be careful, ok?” Scorpius looked bothered about something.

“ ‘ _Be careful?’_ Now, who tampered with your brains?”

“No one. It’s just… it’s dark out there.” 

When Albus continued to look skeptical, Scorpius shook his head, grinning again. “Never mind. You’ll play your best, yeah? Next week? I know you will. You've been doing really well. Enjoy practice.” He showed a thumbs up.

“OK…?”

“You should better get going. I’ll be checking in with the librarian.”

Now, Albus properly smirked. 

“Yeah, yeah. The _librarian_.” Shaking his head, he left off into the deafening rain.

Scorpius stood there for a long time, watching Albus until he disappeared out of sight. Then, without wasting another second, he headed for the stairs that would lead to Gryffindor Tower.

 

A couple of hours later, Albus was soaked to the bone and cursing silently as he walked into the shower room. There, he caught his best friend taking off his shirt. He gasped as he noticed something-- an awful, dark bruise covering his right shoulder looking pretty fresh and painful. He gaped at it as he approached him.

“Scorp! You’re hurt!” 

Scorpius jumped. 

“Shit, Albus, you scared me," he shook his head when he saw who it was. 

"What is that?” Albus demanded, pointing at the bruise. 

“What? Oh, that's nothing." he shrugged a little too quickly, meeting Albus's concerned stare. "Crashed into one of those moving walls that the second years charmed the other day. You know, the ones right outside the Great Hall.” 

"You forgot those walls were charmed, did you?"

"I suppose.”

“I see you got hit pretty hard.”

"Gosh, Potter, are you going to bring over your first-aid kit or something?”

“It’s just, that looks pretty bad for just some wall jamming into you. Besides I’ve never seen you get hurt by a wall before in my life, moving or not." He didn’t add, “you have too much grace for that.”

"Yes, well, I'm glad you didn't see me crash ‘cause I should have looked damn ridiculous."

"Did you go to Madam Pomfrey?"

"Fuck no, that's embarrassing. Now piss off so I can take my shower in peace, please.”

Albus frowned, knowing that something was definitely up with Scorpius by now, but thought better than to press on. 

He hesitantly walked off, but not before lowering his gaze to take a longer-than-normal look at Scorpius’s bare upper half. He always thought he was lean, but he didn’t expect to see this much muscle up close. As he moved over to his stall, he guiltily licked his lips and resisted looking back. He thought he felt Scorpius silently shooing him away behind his back.

Listening to the water running in Scorpius’s stall, he wondered why he was being so mysterious and, not to mention, rude— almost for a whole day. His best mate rarely acted like that to him, but when he did, it was best to leave him alone until he figured out how he was going to talk about it to Albus. After all, Scorpius always told him everything in the end. He was reassured by this idea as he stepped out of the shower.

 

While he was drying himself, he felt someone’s presence. He looked around and caught Scorpius looking at him from a few feet away, already fully dressed and biting his lip in a pout. Albus blushed slightly, feeling suddenly self-conscious of how exposed he was. He slowly turned his gaze from Scorpiues’s wet blonde hair to his eyes.

“Hey, Al. I’m sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to act like a jerk.” he cleared his throat. “How was practice? I did forget to ask.” 

Albus grinned. This was his Scorpius, never failing to be thoughtful to him. As he got dressed he talked about how messy it all was that morning, since it was raining pretty hard and the wind blew everyone in every direction. 

"And when the Gryffindors came to claim their turn on the pitch I got to about a few feet away from landing when Rose crashed into me midair right after kicking off from the ground. It was a hella terrific collision." 

By this time Scorpius was laughing so heartily that the big black bruise Albus had just seen on his shoulder a few minutes ago was forgotten. 

 

That night, Scorpius disappeared.

They were both cozily reading their books in the Common Room when Scorpius had looked at his watch and stood up abruptly.

“Sorry. I’ve got to see someone,” he said apologetically.

“ _See someone_?” Albus’s eyes bugged out and his heart skipped a beat.

Immediately regretting his word choice, Scorpius corrected, “Not as in, _seeing a girl_. Or anything like that. I actually just. Need some space.” He gestured around at the stuffy Common Room and the Slytherins gathered together.

Not looking at Albus twice, he vanished through the dungeon entrance in a hurry.

The talking and laughing around Albus seemed to grow unbearably loud. He stood up unceremoniously, earning a few curious glances in his direction. But he was determined.

 _I_ will _find out what is up with him. He needs me._ Albus thought, and came up with a mental list of Scorpius’s favorite peaceful hiding places in the castle.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! :P Don't worry, there will be a second chapter out real soon, which will hopefully satisfy the anxiety baby Albus is feeling for his dear friend.  
> I just wanted to thank you, as this is my FIRST EVER fanfic to post on the Internet, although it is not my first piece that I've written. Posting and having my first story read by an audience means so much to me, but more than that, knowing that there are hundreds and thousands of Scorbus shippers out there as close as my screen and keyboard is very comforting, not to mention incredibly exciting  
> I'm not sure if I will be able to continue my story on my own, so all feedback and encouragement will be gratefully received. I have drafts of several upcoming chapters written, but I am planning on posting them one by one since I am still very unsure of how my first writing/sharing experience will go.  
> But anyways, have a nice day... XP


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus finds Scorpius...in the most unexpected of situations

 

When he was about to reach the top of the Astronomy Tower, which was the last on his list, he heard rough scrubbing sounds coming from above. He hurried the last few steps and saw that there was none other than Scorpius bent down on the floor, and a flood of relief washed over him.

“Albus!” Scorpius exclaimed, looking bewildered as he quickly stood up.

“Scorpius! What in Dumbledore’s name are you doing here?” Albus’s eyes strayed down from the moonlight catching in his hair then caught the scrubbing brush in his hand, and realized that both his hands were dripping wet.

Before Scorpius could think of a response, unmistakable mewing noises were heard coming up the spiral staircase.

“Oh, God. Albus, quick. Hide in there.” Scorpius whispered in a rush, shoving Albus towards an alcove hidden in shadow.

“I heard voices,” the wheezy voice of Filch traveled over to Albus.

“That’s none of your business. I was cursing to myself over how unfair this was.” Scorpius shot back.

“Watch what you say, Malfoy, or you will earn yourself an extension.”

“I got it, thank you.”

Albus caught the touch of sarcasm in Scorpius’s tone.

A few moments later, Filch’s grumbling remarks disappeared down the stairs, along with Mrs. Norris’s mewing.

Albus waited a few seconds more in silence, huffing in anger. Fairly sure that Filch and his cat were far enough that his voice wouldn’t carry, he stepped out of the alcove and glared fiercely at Scorpius’s resigned expression.

“What, _detention_? Now you’re not even telling me when you get _detention_? Since when have you even gotten in trouble without me or--”

“Albus!” Scorpius cried back, shushing him. Then his expression turned into pure regret and self-hatred. “Oh, Albus, I’m so sorry. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep anything from you, but I did anyway. Please forgive me for that. I _will_ tell you everything, if you’ll just listen.”

When Albus never faltered his glare, he took a deep breath and continued. “Al… there’s something you should have known earlier. I overheard this conversation behind me the other morning, when we had to sit separately in transfig. Some jealous Gryffindors were plotting against us, well, _you_ , specifically, but I don’t know what they were going to do. I was just scared and real mad. How could it even be fair to hurt you just so that they could win again this year, when you were only flying your best? So, I lied to you about going to see the librarian this afternoon. I went to confront them.”

Albus had stopped glaring. In fact, he looked like he was about to cry, and he looked so vulnerable and so beautiful in the steady flood of moonlight streaming from the night sky that Scorpius had to look away from him and take a few breaths.

“And…?” Albus prompted, quietly.

“And, well…” Scorpius swallowed. He really didn’t need Albus to know about the next part, but he caught his keen, glittering eyes anyway. “You remember that bruise on my shoulder?”

Albus gasped.

“Oh, gosh, Scor.” He rushed over to him and gently brushed his fingers over his right shoulder where he guessed the bruise was still there. Scorpius blinked hard, but didn’t shrink away from Albus’s touch. Instead, he relaxed into it.

“I’m really sorry, Al,” he whispered in a slight quiver.

For a moment Albus gently held his palm over Scorpius’s injured shoulder and drank in his air. “Why did you do it?” he asked into his ear, barely audible.

“Because they were going to hurt you! Or I don’t know what exactly they were going to do, but they seemed so determined, and so _mean_. And of course I didn’t want you knowing, you didn’t have to know, what with all that effort you’d gone through and the practice you went to every other night, and no one would have wanted you constantly watching behind your back looking out for plotting Gryffindors so that you couldn’t play your best in the game, either— ”

“Hush, Scorpius. I get it.” Albus assured him, bringing his arms tight around Scorpius’s shoulders. Scorpius held in his breath for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

“No, that’s not true,” he said slowly. “I didn’t go after them because I was worried about Quidditch. I never cared anything about that damn shit. I just worried about you, Al.”

Albus smiled and looked at his best friend in wonder. Scorpius, ever so selfless, ever so good, had been protecting Albus by not telling him about what he had heard and taking it all onto him, earning an ugly bruise and a detention. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became at those Gryffindor bullies for hurting Scorpius. He frowned, withdrawing his arms from around him.

"Scor, who were they?"

"Who were who?"

"Those suckers that hurt you! Who were they?"

"Oh, they didn't hurt me! Well, not really. They just shoved me against the wall which incredibly happened to be one of those mad, moving ones." He processed Albus's expression and snickered. "See, I was not lying about how I hit my shoulder."

"Shit, Scor, that's not the point!" Albus was exasperated, wondering why Scorpius did not seem even slightly bothered about the bullies anymore. "They _hurt_ you, Scor."

"The point is that they also got caught and got detention and since I told McGonagall everything that I'd overheard, they're not going to risk coming after you anymore. " He reflected on it for a moment. "She was livid to hear about them, though. She was a Gryffindor herself, hell she even used to be _head_ of Gryffindor," Scorpius chuckled, entirely satisfied.

On the other hand, Albus was not so sure. _He's too soft to his enemies_ , he thought, distressed.

"Scorp, I grew up with a family of Gryffindors, and I know for a fact that they don't back down easily. They're gonna come back at us, especially since you got them into trouble."

Scorpius bit his lip.

"I'm not blaming you, of course." Albus said quickly. "Thank you. For what you did for me."

Scorpius licked his lips and stared at him strangely. "Don't be silly, Al. I'll always keep watching out for you.”

"I don't know... I think there might be more convenient ways..."

Scorpius shushed him by lightly grabbing onto his shoulders, leaning into him. "Al, listen to me." Albus's body shivered faintly. "Drop it. You're scaring me. It's fine, because I will make sure that you're never moving around the castle alone."

His playful wink told Albus all about who to expect to be sticking with him around the castle. Albus felt heat rush into his neck and cheeks, and Scorpius pressing his palms back and forth on Albus's shoulders did the opposite of calming him down.

After all that he'd learned about what Scorpius had gone through today, it was all he could do not to be carried away by his instincts. He looked away from Scorpius so that he would not feel like he really had to kiss everywhere on that damn beautiful face.

 

Scrubbing the Tower floor was very easy using Albus's wand. (Filch had taken Scorpius's away so as to ensure he cleaned the muggle way.)

"The despicable squib." Scorpius remarked.

"You're sounding like a Malfoy," said Albus, feigning disgust.

Scorpius looked at him. "I don't think he's despicable because he's a squib, it's because he took my wand away and after all, this is not fair because I was the one being jammed against a fucked up wall." He clarified.

"Hell, Scorpius. I was joking," Albus giggled. "You're nothing like a Malfoy, if there's such a thing." Seeing Scorpius grin, he faced his whole body towards him, sighing. "If anything, you-- you're-- a great person. A good guy. Being a Malfoy doesn't change how selfless you are." He looked sincere and only slightly embarrassed.

Scorpius was unnerved. It wasn't everyday Albus showered compliments like this, although he was always honest with him. He decided to go with the flow, after fully relishing himself in his best friend's sweet words. "And being a Slytherin doesn't change how brave you are, like a proud Gryffindor" he replied softly.

Albus smirked, continuing to wave his wand at the scrubbing brushes to do their own jobs. "Not sure if I have a good impression of Gryffindor at the moment."

 

After they were done (which was considerably faster than Scorpius would have finished without magic) The boys smiled down smugly at their handiwork.

When Albus was safely hidden away and Filch came again to check in, he seemed furious to find that Scorpius had finished his labor far before he had been expecting. He checked inside Scorpius's robes twice for a second wand. (Thankfully, he did not think to search around for a second _student_. ) In the end he reduced to fuming and gruffly descending the stairs.

"Thanks, Al," Scorpius said, grinning widely.

Albus was mesmerized by his white teeth and adorable eyes that wrinkled at the corners whenever he grinned like this.

"You shouldn't thank me," Al said, possibly a beat or so late. "You didn't deserve this, anyway." He flicked his head and eyes in a gesture to refer to the now thoroughly scrubbed floor.

Scorpius could not look away from how Albus's hair was behaving with his movement. When he shook his black hair like that... Scorpius had to fight the urge to push away the hair from Albus's face and run his fingers through it.

“Come on, let’s go.” he said decidedly. “I should really shower again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for keeping up :D  
> Please leave comments, I am itching to know how you guys feel about this!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus presents Scorpius with a thoughtful little surprise, giving an idea of his inner magical talent and his cuteness.

The next morning, Scorpius awoke to Albus grinning down at him, calling his name.  
“Scorp.”  
When he realized who was waking him up, he immediately felt unnecessary goosebumps.  
"Al?" He said in surprise. “You’re up?"  
Since Albus much preferred to sleep in on weekends, him waking Scorpius up on a Saturday was very unusual.  
“Morning, sunshine.”  
Scorpius tried to shift his position in bed to get up when his weight pressed on his bad shoulder and he remembered his injury— it seemed to hurt worse than it had the day before. He must have involuntarily shown his pain because Albus's lips tightened.  
“It’s hurting, isn’t it?”  
“I’m fine.”  
“No, you’re not.”  
Suddenly, Albus grinned. He walked over to the door to the boys' bathroom, facing Scorpius again at the doorway.  
“C’mere.”  
One of their dorm mates let out a raspy protest. "Shush! It's Saturday, in case you dorks haven't noticed!"  
"Sorry," Scorpius said distractedly.  
He slowly moved towards the bathroom to discover what Albus had been up to this early in the day.  
Albus had his head bent over a cauldron that was set up in the middle of the black-tiled bathroom floor. It seemed to be the source of a very strong, stinging odor that filled the room. Scorpius quickly shut the door so that the unpleasant smell wouldn’t wake their dorm mates up.  
"Mmm. It's ready. " Albus hummed contently as he looked up to Scorpius's disgusted face.  
"What in the name of Merlin-- " Scorpius breathed out, trying not to take in too much of the air at once. He thought he could pass out just by the intensity of the smell.  
Albus laughed at this, showing all his teeth.  
“Easy, Scor. Come and sit down,” he said, patting the tile beside him.  
Crouched beside him, Scorpius watched Albus as he slowly turned down the heat and gently stirred the yellowish liquid for it to cool down. Scorpius admired the way his eyes never left his work, attention never straying from it as his whole posture stayed perfectly still but with a smile playing on his lips. Albus wasn’t always so focused like this, but when he was, he could be very talented. Scorpius knew his favorite subject was potions and that he had the uses and procedures of hundreds of potions memorized.  
This was one of those occasions where Scorpius could properly acknowledge his talents, but he was confused as to what exactly he was up to.  
Albus took out a clean, neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and dipped the corner of it into his freshly brewed potion.  
“Take off your shirt,” Albus said. Scorpius arched his eyebrows, clearly not understanding.  
Albus smirked. “Oh my God, Scor. Just take off your shirt.” He waved his handkerchief in front of him, now dripping yellow towards the bleak bathroom floor.  
“ _Oh_.” Realization hit Scorpius.Slowly, he took the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He shifted his position so he was facing his back to Albus.  
Albus gaped at the bruise for a brief second. It had looked nasty before, but now it was simply blacker. And Merlin, did it look painful.  
Seated cross legged on the floor, Albus leaned forward very slowly and held out the handkerchief in front of him.  
“Stay still,” he whispered, sending an involuntary shiver down Scorpius.  
Then, Scorpius experienced a jolt of cold and, despite Albus’s words, jerked a little. Albus instinctively brought his free arm around Scorpius’s neck to tightly press the palm onto his shoulder from the front side, keeping it in place. His face caught on fire, which was thankfully more or less ducked behind Scorpius’s neck.  
“Merlin,” Scorpius breathed. He silently noted how warm and firm Albus’s hand was on his skin in contrast to the coolness of the healing potion.  
“Does it hurt?” Albus sounded worried.  
“No… actually, it doesn’t. It’s just really cold. And I was expecting something warmer since it just got out of the fire. ”  
Albus nodded, despite being out of Scorpius's sight.  
“Good. Because when it’s perfectly brewed, it’s supposed to be like that. It's not supposed to hurt at all.”  
“It’s perfectly brewed, Al. I didn’t have any doubt of that.”  
Albus blushed as he started to dab at Scorpius’s bruise very gently.  
A few seconds later, though, he stole a glimpse of Scorpius’s face. His eyelids had fluttered closed and his pink lips were curved neatly into a small, satisfied smile. He even gave out a little moan.  
Albus observed the bruise slowly melting away underneath his handkerchief. He sighed in relief.  
Conscious of his own arm still wrapped tightly around Scorpius’s neck, he loosened it a little, when suddenly Scorpius's hand gripped it by the wrist.  
"Thanks for all this, Al. "  
"Stop saying that, Scor. You shouldn't have been hurt in the first place."  
For a while both of them breathed the same air in silence, Scorpius holding on to Albus's wrist. Albus was more than happy to keep his arm around Scorpius while he continued to brush away the remaining dark spots on his shoulder. It felt so immeasurably good to have him right there, right under his wing, quite literally. He felt safe as long as his precious Scorpius was, but refused to wonder about why he had such a strong urge to protect him, for now at least.  
When the shoulder looked good as new, he realized that he had no reason to keep his arm around Scorpius, as much as he wanted to.  
Sensing that Albus was finished, Scorpius reluctantly let go of his wrist, then slowly picked up his shirt and put it back on.  
Right after, however, he was caught off guard when he was wrapped tightly by both of Albus's arms.  
"Scor, promise me you won't get hurt for my sake again like that. " A sob escaped Albus, letting go of his real feelings.  
"Albus..." Scorpius leaned back into him and, noticing that Albus still held the dripping yellow handkerchief, he took it from his hand and replaced it with his own.  
"I'll promise that, but only if you agree that I should always be beside you whenever you're having to get hurt. And we'll go through every painful thing together, just like we did last year."  
Albus was confused that Scorpius should bring up such a topic when he was usually reluctant to talk about it.  
"Okay." Albus agreed. "You know I'll be there with you, too, Scor, when you're in trouble. Unless you rewind time and I cease to exist." He giggled a little.  
Albus was surprised to hear a small chuckle from Scorpius, too.  
"Oh yeah, that. I won't do that again. "  
They were now comfortably rocking back and forth together as Albus continued to cling onto Scorpius and they held hands in the middle of the bathroom floor.  
Albus wiped his eyes on Scorpius's now healed and clothed shoulder, pretending to be nuzzling against it.  
He reveled in the warmness and fitness of Scorpius's body that he could feel even through his clothes, and he didn't ever want to let go.  
Albus could not deal with the thought that Scorpius was only ever going to be his best friend. He wanted them to become more, and it was now too late to deny his own feelings. He really wanted him in a way that couldn't ever be admitted out loud, and couldn't ever happen. But... weren't they actually _holding hands_ right now?  
Scorpius's hand in his was very, very soft. He had to fight every urge to caress it. He wondered how Scorpius would feel like on his own body, not just his hand, but somewhere _else_...  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took a few days to upload this, but I won't be stopping in the middle of it. That, I can promise. School just started so I just have to work out how to balance everything out, but thanks for all your encouraging comments/kudos's! They really keep me going.  
> The next chapter might get a bit explicit (wink wink) but I'm still unsure. It might ruin the current innocent, cute mood, so feel free to let me know what y'all think!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the greatest time ever that took me to get myself to write this chapter. I could not come up with a decent plot, nor could I find the time to try. I'm not saying that I've finally managed to come up with a new chapter that is finally decent, but I really hope you guys enjoy. Please note, though, my story is very, VERY slow burn...

"Pass me another one, Albus. " Scorpius demanded, gesturing over to the plate of mounted muffins. 

"You're going to have to stop eating at one point," Albus said. "If you're not going to be able to resist yourself, I have the responsibility to place restrictions on your diet." He scowled playfully, bringing his own muffin to his lips. 

Scorpius rolled his eyes. 

"Potter," he said. "Just hand me the damn muffin. "

"Hey, don't call me that." Albus warned, refusing to reach out for a muffin just yet. 

"What, you love it when I call you that, Potter," Scorpius said, mockingly. 

"No, I _don't_." 

But Albus's face had slightly turned pink; just enough to convince a smirking Scorpius that he had been right. 

Albus was annoyed (and a little embarrassed) by Scorpius's smug expression. He flicked his wand in the general direction of the plate of breakfast muffins, causing not one, but three muffins to zoom across the table and smack straight onto Scorpius's face, one after another. 

"Oil!" Scorpius exclaimed, clearly shocked that Albus had acted so aggressively. He shook his head to clear away the crumbs on his face and stared at one of the muffins that had landed on the table in front of him. 

Albus was laughing. It was one of those laughs that was so pure and happy that it usually made Scorpius forget everything and feel nothing except for a very strange giddiness. Albus's whole body was shaking so hard with laughter that Scorpius couldn't even bring himself to get more than just slightly mad. 

"Potter..." Scorpius started, mock-warningly. 

"Oh, don't you even start, Malfoy. Just wingardium leviosa your own muffins from now on," Albus chirped, clearly pleased at the sight of his friend struggling to keep a straight face. 

 

Albus was climbing up the spiral staircase with Scorpius when they heard some footsteps coming from below. It was Jenna Markins, shuffling up the steps clutching several books to her chest. 

"Hey, Jen!" 

"Heya, Al!" She exclaimed, looking quite flustered. She glanced next to Albus, at Scorpius, for a brief second before settling her eyes again on Albus. Her pinks grew just pink enough for both boys to notice. 

She grinned sweetly and blurted out, "Oh god, did you hear about Parker getting caught by Peeves and having molten chocolate squirted all over his robes?"

"Parker? Parker who?"

"Andy Parker! The Ravenclaw prefect!" 

"No kidding! Not Andrew!?"

"Well it _was_ him. Anyway, he was on his way to the slug club Halloween party. He'd been wearing a new shiny set of _glittery white_ robes, ready to greet his date. When his girl did come around, she saw him running away from her, dripping hot, brown liquid."

"Ugh! Isn't he the top student in our year or something?"

Jenna shrugged. "Apparently that didn't mean anything to Peeves."

"But Parker couldn't fend him off?"

"No. Oh yeah, I heard he was so nervous about going to a party with a girl that he forgot to even take his wand. I mean, this is Hogwarts. Who doesn't carry their wand everywhere?"

"True. Well I'm guessing his girl didn't take it well?"

"Oh, I don't know about that... I mean, when I see those two together, they're really cute. I would be surprised if Peeves actually got in their way."

Albus laughed. 

Scorpius, who had been forgotten by both Jenna and Albus, could not help but feel a little bitter, but laughed along. 

Albus finally seemed to notice that his best friend had been standing next to him all along. 

"Well, good talking to you, Jenna. Me and Scorp had got to be going. We've got to trek all the way up North side."

Jenna looked flustered. "Oh yes, of course. Sorry, I guess I just..."

"No worries Jenna. I'll see you around?"

Jenna grinned, showing very white, very pretty teeth as her eyes wrinkled at the corners. 

 

"Wow, that story was specifically meant for you. Did you hear that? 'When I see those two together, they're really cute...' "

"Now don't go quoting everything she said, Scorpius. She just found it funny."

"No she didn't. Hell, who cares about some Ravenclaw having chocolate dribbling down his white robes? She just wanted an excuse to talk to you."

Albus shrugged. "Maybe. So what if she did? Does it matter?"

Scorpius frowned. His heart beat faster. _Shit_. "Well, no, I guess not," he said slowly. "Just that, you could be blind sometimes. You'd need a reminder about girls once in a while."

"And why would I need to be reminded?" Albus's tone was not angry. He sounded genuinely curious as to why Scorpius was not being his usual calm and sunny self. 

"It's just... I don't know. I need to make sure... You don't fall for a phony person?"

"You think Jenna's a phony?"

"N-no, not necessarily." Scorpius said hastily. 

The boys fell quiet. This was unusual, as they would always be either chatting, joking, laughing or racing each other. Right now, Scorpius was consumed in his guilt and embarrassment, hoping that he hadn't given too much away just by how he'd reacted to Jenna. Albus, on the other hand, was interested in the peculiar behavior he'd just seen of his friend as he was not used to it. I guess anyone can be moody somtimes, even Scorpius... But hadn't Scorpius acted weird only last week as well, when he was hiding the fact that the Gryffindors had been plotting against Albus? What if this was something like that, too? What if Scorpius was hiding something from Albus again? What could it possibly be?

 

"After you. " Albus was shaken out of his reverie by Scorpius's voice, and he realized that they had come right up North tower right in front of the ladder leading up to the Divination classroom. 

"Thanks. " Albus quickly hauled himself up through the trapdoor. Then he reached out a hand to Scorpius. 

It wasn't particularly a difficult feat to climb up to professor Trelawney's classroom, but every time the boy who got to the top first never forgot to lend the other a hand. 

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus can see exactly two things. The Golden Snitch and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

As Albus stepped into the Great Hall, he was met with cheers and applause, mixed with massive boos from the Gryffindor table.  
"There he is! Good luck, Al!"  
“Albus!” Someone called as a Quaffle came soaring across the hall, and Albus caught it with outstretched arms.  
“Whazzup, Stevens!” He called back, hauling the Quaffle back to the Slytherin chaser that had sent it.  
"Hey, Al! You haven't changed yet?" A Ravenclaw shouted across the hall.  
"Nope. I wouldn't want to have coffee stains over my brand new Quidditch robes."  
"Well, I don't think anyone else on the team cares about stains, look, _everyone's_ wearing their Quidditch robes!"  
Albus looked around the hall.  
"Yeah," he grinned. "I see that."  
But there was also something else that Albus saw. Blond hair, blinding white teeth, and a pair of sunny eyes.  
“Scorp!”

When Albus reached the seat beside Scorpius (Scorpius had finished his prefects' meeting and had been keeping a seat for Albus), Scorpius smirked and echoed, “ ‘I wouldn’t want to have coffee stains over my brand new Quidditch robes?’ Seriously, Al? Isn’t it, like, _tradition_ for team players to wear their Quidditch robes before a match?”  
“Uh… It is?” Albus said, suddenly concerned that he had broken one of those long-standing Hogwarts traditions that he often had never heard of. After all, Scorpius did all the reading.  
Scorpius laughed, instantly making Albus grin, too.  
“No, Albus, Not literally. It’s only that I’ve never seen a player look and act so normal before their first Quidditch match.”  
“Really? Do I look normal? Scorp, I’m terrified!” Albus said, wide-eyed. “I’m just not wearing my Quidditch robes because I would only be more nervous.”  
Scorpius shoved a plate in Albus’s direction, on top of which already sat a slice of toast with a generous amount of butter spread on it.  
“Wow. Thanks.” Albus took a tiny bite off the tip of the crust, and slowly chewed. His brows were furrowed and his eyes darted around the excited hall. Meanwhile, Scorpius was watching with amused, dancing eyes.  
Albus swallowed, and said, “I’m not that nervous. Like I couldn’t have even prepared my own toast.”  
Scorpius only laughed, again.  
Hell, he’s in such a good mood looking at me trying to calm myself down. Albus thought, annoyed.  
But it was impossible to stay annoyed at someone like Scorpius.  
Scorpius clapped a hand on Albus’s shoulder. Albus jumped at the sudden touch. “Al. I know you don't need me to tell you this, but I’ll say it anyway. You’ll do really good, Al. Better than James. Better than anyone. Take those Gryffindors down and you, my friend, will go down in Slytherin history!”  
Despite the turmoil he felt in his stomach, Albus couldn’t help a small smile forming on his lips.

***

"Aaaaand Gryffindor score! Bringing it up to a 60-60 tie! The game is really heating up, you guys! Keep your eyes open…”  
The Slytherin and the Gryffindor spectators on the stands were having a shouting match. Both were firing insults at each other across the length of the pitch, making them all inaudible. It was a mess— an ecstatic mess.  
Of course, right in the middle of the excitement was Scorpius. At the top of his voice, he screamed his best friend’s name.  
Albus heard him. He was miles away, hovering off the other end of the pitch, and he heard him. Above all the cheering, chanting, jeering, and booing, he heard Scorpius calling him.  
He spun around on his broom and caught the light bouncing off Scorpius’s blond hair. He grinned, lifting a hand off his handle in an attempt at a wave, when—  
Scorpius gasped as Albus disappeared in midair. At the same time, a gush of air hit the Slytherin stands as the spectators momentarily fell silent in shock.  
“Wha- Albus?!” Scorpius swiveled his head right and left, up and down, along with his fellow Slytherins as they all looked for the familiar shock of green uniform with black hair. “Gosh, where did he go?”  
Just then, a streak of red shot through the pitch at nearly invisible speed. The thousand magicked dramatized roars from the Gryffindor stands told it was their seeker, James Potter.   
The Slytherins hissed in unison, drowning out the lions. Where was the Slytherin seeker? Where was Albus at this crucial moment?  
Then—

“Al!” Scorpius gasped as he barely caught a light-speed ribbon of green that was unmistakably Albus.  
“WHERE IS POTTER? OUR POTTER?” the spectators around him yelled, apparently oblivious to what Scorpius was now determinedly following with his eyes.  
“There!” he pointed.  
The stands gasped as Albus caught up with James and was finally visible to all. Before James could even notice his brother right beside him, let alone do anything about it, he was brutally knocked out of the way by his very own younger brother. 

Albus took one beautiful swipe at the air.  
Before Scorpius knew it, Albus was clutching onto his broom, vertically, his fist raised and his form shooting up into the air. Tiny, golden wings peeked out of his closed fist. The center of everyone’s attention. He caught the Snitch!

“FUCK YES!” Scorpius shouted as he gazed at Albus in awe.  It was all over now, so quick!  
“Albus, Albus, Albus…” the Slytherin crowd chanted, which Scorpius soon joined.  
Albus did funny pirouettes in midair, which made the stands laugh. A wide grin was etched on his own face and his eyes were shut tight. And when he opened them, of course they landed first on his favorite friend, his own Scorpius. Suddenly, the deafening cheers and boos died down— at least to his ears. The banners, flags, mascots and spectators of green, red, silver, and gold had vanished, at least to his eyes. The only thing he could now see at all was his own Scorpion King, gazing straight up at him and laughing in that carefree way.  
When their eyes met, Scorpius let out a cheer that carried all the way to Albus, miles up high. Albus’s heart fluttered.

***

“That was hardly impressive, Al. You shoved me away because you weren’t up for actually competing with me, side to side. You know, like real good-old brothers,” James said in mock sadness, shaking his sweaty scarlet hair from side to side.  
“Ew, James, stop spraying your sweat everywhere. And also do appreciate that I didn’t knock off your broom, which I did consider at first. But I decided against it! You are my brother, after all.”  
“Really? You could have knocked me off my broom, but you didn’t? Wow, I’m really proud of you, little buddy.” James said happily as he sauntered over and crushed Albus in a bear hug. “Always knew you were better at Seeker than I was,” he said, a little grumpily.  
Then, Albus felt James’s wet hair rubbing against his cheek. “GROSS! That’s fucking gross, James!” he yelled as he shoved James off of him, which took all the strength that was left in him for the day. “You’re so bloody bitter about not being as good a Seeker as I am,” he screamed as James hurried out of the changing room before Albus could take a swing at him.  
Now Albus was alone in the changing room. He wiped James’s sweat off his face and was silently laughing by himself, when—  
“Albus?” A voice called from very close, right outside the changing room curtains. Really soft, really... tentative, might be the better word.  
With a towel held over his face, Albus froze.  
“Sco....rp?” He let out slowly.  
Turning around towards the voice, Albus barely caught sight of the curtains being swung open before he found himself gripped within tight arms. Warm... very warm arms. Chest. He couldn't possibly be more sure of who it was.  
“Al!” Scorpius whispered, delighted.  
Albus was grinning from ear to ear. He grinned harder than he had all day. He grinned wider than when he caught the snitch and drowned himself in all of Hogwarts’ cheers. He felt as happy as was possible.  
“Scorpius, my Scorpius.” He chanted.  
“Your Scorpius?” Scorpius echoed incredulously.  
“My Scorpius.“ Albus nodded his head vigorously, so that Scorpius could feel him on his shoulder.  
Scorpius finally broke the hug, and held Albus at arm’s length.  
“Well, _my Albus_ ,” said Scorpius, mock seriously, “that was nothing short of a spectacle.”  
“I’m glad.“ Albus replied.  
Scorpius couldn’t help it. His face broke into a grin all over again.

They broke into giggles together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, apologies. Honestly, if you decided to come back to my story after half a year of it being dormant, I gotta say you're pretty awesome. If you'd forgotten how my story went after all this time, I really don't blame you.  
> I can't believe my fic was inactive for so long... it definitely doesn't feel that long! But what I really love about Scorbus is that it's always waiting for me when I need to stumble back into my shell again for a while after feeling a bit too caught up in real life. I always find solace in writing, even if it's something as simple as Scorbus fanfic. You dig?  
> By the way, I'm already 90% done with my next chapter, where they might finally "get together" *gasp*-- hopefully it will be up soon! In the meanwhile, I'd love reading comments <33 
> 
> (P.S.) I've always wondered how JK Rowling writes Quidditch scenes so vividly and brilliantly... it's so hard. I'd do one again, just so I could see if it's something that gets better with practice.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They each have minor breakdowns, but both are there for each other.   
> That's what best mates are for, right?  
> Or, should I dare say, boyfriends...?

“Honestly, Al. You wouldn’t believe… Literally no one saw you, Al! You were too fast for them! But I could, Al! I saw you while everyone else was still screaming your name off the top of their lungs—“

Albus laughed.

“— because they couldn’t see where you’d gone and they thought you’d abandoned your position or something and—“

“I get it, I get it,” Albus tried to calm him down, giggling, but Scorpius wouldn’t stop.

“I was literally the only one who saw and I had to point you out to everyone around me, but then _bam_ — you were right there, and you’d knocked James out of the way before anyone knew it! And then you caught it!! You took one mad swipe at the air and that was it!”

Albus applauded, enthusiastically. “That’s great, Scor! _Great_ storytelling!” he grinned. “Although, I guess even the best storytellers can not entertain people with the same story a dozen times.” he sighed, pretending to look tired.

“But I did entertain you,” Scorpius pouted.

“Of course you did.” Albus winked.

They broke into fits of giggles.

Then, the giggles gradually subsided, and both boys ended up staring at each other. Albus felt entranced in Scorpius’s light blue gaze. His eyes were Albus’s favorite color. Half solid, half transparent— it reflected Scorpius well. Scorpius himself was half strong, and half soft. Of course, he only showed his soft part to Albus, that is. At least, Albus hoped that was true. That’s what he loved so much about Scorpius. Scorpius never hesitated to show his vulnerable side to Albus once in a while, and that was a sign that he trusted him to the very depths of his heart. And Albus trusted him right back. Why wouldn’t they, when they’d gone through hell and saved each other from it?

Albus showed a small smile, and Scorpius smiled back. Then Scorpius blushed a light pink and ducked his head. He started plucking at loose strings on the carpet.

Albus couldn’t take in how cute Scorpius was being. His gaze wandered down to Scorpius’s fingers then, now idly playing and tugging at the rug, and felt a strong urge to touch them. He slid his hands over to one of Scorpius’s and covered it with his own. Then he took Scorpius’s hand in both of his and slid it towards him on the rug. He started moving his finger along Scorpius’s. He traced his knuckles. He caressed his fingertips. He wondered how, if he were to kiss Scorpius’s hand, each part would taste like. He wanted to kiss it, so badly. He wanted to kiss Scorpius. Wanted him to _know_ that he wanted Scorpius, and that Scorpius was his.

But he couldn’t, right? They were best mates. That’s why he couldn’t. Scorpius would only like him as a best mate. Of course, that _should_ be enough, it _should_. But somehow it wasn’t enough for Albus. And this thought alone made his eyes well up a little. He felt like he was choking and he was grasping at the air for Scorpius and the love that he had to feel from him, or he would break apart. This was all ironic given that Scorpius was right in front of him, not going anywhere.

Scorpius, at the moment, was confused why Albus had seemed so giggly and happy one moment but now his expression had turned melancholic as he continued to fiddle with Scorpius’s fingers. Scorpius has seen any and every emotion on Albus, and it was no use for Albus to try and hide anything from him this time.

“Al… Is something wrong?”

Albus gulped inconspicuously, but Scorpius still noticed.

“Al?” Scorpius pressed, now very worried.

Albus mindlessly shook his head. _Calm down, Al, calm down_ , he told himself firmly. _You have to be brave and get over this miserable phase_. But somehow Albus knew this wasn’t just any phase. This was Scorpius, for Merlin’s sake. Scorpius couldn't be a phase. Now this didn’t help matters and Albus felt new hot tears threatening to show up.

Scorpius felt so miserable, looking at Albus fight against whatever it was that was bothering him. But he wasn’t one to push things.

So what he did, he decided that he wanted to comfort Albus by stroking his hair for once, which now looked all too enticing close up for its own good. He told himself that it was not to satiate his own desires, but just to make Albus feel better. He slowly brought up his hand— the one that was not captured by Albus— and landed it softly on the side of Albus’s head.

Albus hiccoughed. He immediately lost his attention to Scorpius’s fingers still in his grasp.

Scorpius calmly stroked back Albus’s long, thick bangs towards the back of his ear. He vaguely noticed how soft it was, and how cool it was, probably because he’d come out of the shower not a long while ago. But there was another thing he noticed, something far more disturbing. There was a single big fat tear on Albus’s cheek.

Quietly, Scorpius brought his hand from Albus’s hair to his cheek, and held it there. He swiped a thumb over the tear so it became smudged between their skin.

“You know… you know you can tell me anything, right?” he said, sounding uncertain.

_I know_ , Albus wanted to say. And _I love you,_ he desperately wanted to say. If he did, he knew that Scorpius wouldn’t act any different to him. _We’re best mates_ , he’d say, _no matter what, right?_

Albus focused on the face right in front of him. The face he had come to know and love, which now looked deeply confused and helpless. Albus felt such confidence in him that he’d never felt for anyone else. Scorpius wouldn’t ever judge him, just like Albus would never judge Scorpius. One day, when he couldn’t bear it anymore, he would break it to him. And Scorpius wouldn’t treat him any different. That calmed Albus down.

“S—sorry,” Albus muttered.

“No, no, don’t be sorry for anything, Al. Never say sorry to me,” Scorpius said soothingly. He’d started stroking Albus’s hair again, slow and sure.

Albus’s eyes fluttered open and closed a few times. It felt so good to have Scorpius there, with those fingers tingling his scalp and those eyes burning silver into his. He smelled of safety. But God, was he attractive.

On the other side, Scorpius thought Albus looked angelic. He always looked amazing, but especially in the firelight, he was absolutely stunning. Before Scorpius could help it, he had slid his hand from Albus’s hair to rest it once more against his cheek.

Albus’s eyes opened, wide, and the look of astonished wonder on him sent Scorpius’s heart jacking, and he was a little embarrassed, but he did not remove his hand. It was too late now, and it was about time…

Scorpius scooted over an inch so that he could see Albus’s face more clearly. He desperately needed to see a sign that what he was doing was okay, that it wasn’t rude or humiliating.

Albus suddenly remembered that he still had Scorpius’s other hand in his and grasped it tighter.

Scorpius felt it.

“Albus…Can I…?” he whispered. He really didn’t want to scare Albus off.

Albus only held onto Scorpius’s hand in a death grip while he stared, frozen. But when Scorpius leaned in, he didn’t lean away.

When Scorpius cocked his head a little sideways, he mirrored him by cocking his own the other way.

They were still a few inches apart when Albus’s subconscious decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He leaned forward the remaining distance in half a breath, and before he knew it, he was kissing Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

Scorpius gasped quietly. Eyes screwed tight, he skidded his palm around Albus’s neck and brought him closer towards himself. He felt Albus abruptly let go of Scorpius’s other hand and start to claw at his hair. This was again slightly unexpected from Scorpius, and a strangled noise escaped from his throat. He responded by nipping on Albus’s bottom lip, which in turn made him moan out loud.

“ _Scorpius_.” Albus gasped, pulling away.

Scorpius broke the kiss. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, scrambling back. “I’m sorry if I…” he was too ashamed to continue. He brought his hands up to cover his face.

“No, Scorp— I didn’t mean— I mean, I— Scorpius, hey— hey, don’t.” Albus stammered. He reached out to Scorpius’s face and started to pry at his hands that were covering it in shame.

“Oh, please, I don’t want you to feel embarrassed, Merlin, Scorp…” Albus sighed. He wanted Scorpius’s lips back on his that instant.

Finally, Albus managed to pry off Scorpius’s hands from his face, revealing a flushed and miserable looking expression. Albus thought it was quite cute. He started giggling out of control.

Scorpius stared at him for a few moments.

“Albus, I really don’t know what’s up with you today.”

“Oh, Scor. I don’t know what I was so sad about just a while ago. I thought I’d never— that you’d never like me like that. You know, _like that_ ,” Albus giggled.

After a short while of utter confusion, it dawned on Scorpius. He felt an overwhelming emotion threatening to take over from within him.

“ _That’s_ what you were… sad about? That’s what you were crying for?” he whispered, disbelieving.

Albus noticed the slight hitch in Scorpius’s voice and looked straight into his face. He realized that Scorpius now had tears overbrimming his eyes.

Scorpius sniffed almost inaudibly, trying to cover up his face again.

Albus caught his arms. “Oh, no, Scorp. I’m just happy, okay? Sorry that I kept you in the dark for a bit there, I’m happy that you…that you…”

While still resisting the strong tug of Scorpius’s arms, Albus leaned in and captured his lips with his own, forcing a surprised whimper out of him.

“…that you did that,” Albus finished, pulling away.

Scorpius fluttered his eyes open to stare at him. _Albus sure is a funny guy_ , he thought. _But I wouldn’t take him any other way_.

He finally grinned full and wide, recklessly showing all his gleaming white teeth. As he saw Albus’s face break into a foolish grin from Scorpius’s contagiousness, he pulled Albus towards him with a hunger he was only beginning to feel, and their lips met once again.

Gasping for air and grabbing at each other’s hair, they kissed into the depths of the night wanting to have more of the other, and yet knowing that no amount of the other would ever be enough, and that was all part of the beauty.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for keeping up with me and these lovely innocent boys.  
> I'm so proud I finished this chapter. It was by far the hardest to write. I wanted to get it perfect down to every detail. In cute scenes like this, every word matters.
> 
> Let me know if you liked it.   
> Also, if you have suggestions for future fics that you might want to read, don't hesitate to write it down on the comments, too! I always love to hear from you guys.  
> To add on, I'm planning to write smut too, and if I do okay, I might post it as a sequel to this fic. Tell me if you'd want that, as well. <3


	7. Chapter Seven

The next morning couldn’t have been more normal, though it definitely did not feel normal. As Scorpius came back from the bathroom having taken a quick shower, he caught himself from falling into a mass of black bushy hair. The face that was hidden from view suddenly looked up with a gasp. His green eyes brightened.

Scorpius grinned. “Morning, Al,” he said, casually.

Albus looked confused for a moment. Scorpius couldn’t blame him. He half believed that last night was a dream, too.

“Scor, last night…?” Al chewed on his lip.

“Last night, what?”

“You remember what happened last night, right?” Al said slowly.

“Of course I remember.” Scorpius said. Suddenly, he felt uncertain. “You don’t…?”

“I don’t, what?” Albus said.

“You don’t regret it?” Scorpius whispered.

“Oh, what, no! Of course I don’t.” Albus said quickly, perplexed.

Scorpius sighed in relief. “Uh.. right.” he said, happily.

Slowly, Albus showed a fond smile. He wanted the boy standing in front of him again, so badly. He wanted to kiss him so fiercely that he would never even consider the possibility that Albus would regret it afterwards. It was Scorpius that Albus wanted to kiss, and it seemed as though it would always be him. Albus took a tentative step forwards, locking eyes with Scorpius with reassurance.

“Hey, you realize you’re blocking the doorway?” a voice suddenly came from behind Scorpius.

Scorpius blushed fiercely. “Oh, yeah, excuse us,” he stammered. He quickly moved out of the way to let his dorm mate pass, but not before he caught Albus laughing silently at him, walking away.

Scorpius sighed. After all, it was going to be a regular Monday, with a hurried breakfast followed by a full time table of classes. Alone time with Albus would be scarce. Scorpius did not know how he would be able to spend who-knows-how-many-hours until he could have Albus to himself again, and snog him, and show him how much he cared for him. But for now, the lingering feeling of their kiss from last night and the prospect of spending all his class time and meals with Albus was enough to get him going.

 

“Morning, Albus!” a bright voice chirped up out of nowhere.

Albus and Scorpius, sitting at the Slytherin table for breakfast, turned their heads around to find the skinny Ravenclaw blonde, Jenna, standing over them.

“Oh, hey Jenna!”

“Al, you did so amazing yesterday… My eyes couldn’t even catch up with you right before you caught the Snitch!”

Jenna’s smile showed all her teeth and gleamed white. She puffed out her breasts in an angle that would make them look best from the boys’ eyelevels. It was obvious that she was putting on a display for the boy she was addressing. Meanwhile, Albus didn’t seem to notice her intentions. He laughed heartily.

“Hahaha, yeah, thanks, that’s what everyone says…”

Just then, Jenna swooped forward and pecked Albus on the cheek. Albus’s face turned as red as a Quaffle.

“You’re the best Quidditch seeker I know, Al…” she whispered into his ear, but Scorpius’s current hypersensitivity allowed him to catch it.

“Er…” Al stuttered, meeting neither Jenna’s or Scorpius’s anticipating eyes. “I’m not sure about that, but, er, thanks, I guess.”

Jenna grinned, satisfied for the moment, and hurried off.

Scorpius resumed to consuming the rest of his toast with his back slightly turned to the boy sitting next to him, who looked flustered by what had just happened.

“Well, I knew for quite a while that she fancied you…” Scorpius said, when he judged he had composed himself enough to sound fairly unaffected. He was wrong.

“Scor? What’s the matter?”

“What?”

“You look… I don’t know. Why do you have that weird expression on your face that tells me something’s wrong?”

Scorpius was silent.

After a few moments, he resigned. “Oh you know,” he breathed out slowly. “Maybe it’s because I’m trying to hide the fact that I’m pretty fucking annoyed at Jenna and the way she looks at you and the thought of her playing around with you and you starting to play around with her?” he blurted.

Albus’s eyes were round. He gaped for a few seconds in an attempt to process Scorpius’s words.

“Scorpius! Why would you _say_ that?” Albus’s heart seemed to speed up. “Do you feel— hey, are you...”

“Jealous? You guessed it.” Scorpius took a few deep breaths. “Look, if you like her, then that’s cool, you can just— go on and hook up with her— I don’t know—“ his voice was very small.

Suddenly, something gripped Scorpius’s wrist, tightly. He looked down to see Albus’s fingers had enclosed around it.

“Scorpius… don’t you ever. Don’t you feel _jealous_ about anything, you _know_ I fancy you, right?” Albus’s eyes blazed green into Scorpius’s. “I mean, did I have to say it? Like, wasn’t it pretty obvious last night?” he said searchingly, his cheeks only slightly pink.

Scorpius looked at him, frozen, already lost in the ocean-deep prisms that were Albus’s eyes, shining with reassurance and… could it be desire? A shiver ran through his stomach that he couldn’t quite describe: strange, but pleasant. He felt Albus’s hand move slowly from his wrist to his own hand, until they were essentially holding hands. In the middle of the Great fucking Hall.

“Yeah. Sure.” Scorpius blinked. “I mean, I fancy you, too.” he blinked again, dumbly. He acutely noticed the warmth pulsing in Albus’s palm.

Albus grinned. “Good.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading my entire finished work!  
> To those of you keen for more cute episodes of the two young lovebirds, stay alert... I am already planning a new plot for another story. I definitely want to make the next one smutty, as well ;) Cheers!


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